An Abiding Love of Mythic American Icons and Movies Inspires Actor Daniel Colt
Watch. This. Space.
Daniel Colt (Pareja) is a South American raised actor/voiceover artist who is a huge fan of archetypal American heroes, movies and myths including an American icon like legendary acting teacher Sanford Meisner. As for movies, he cites the groundbreaking 2001: A Space Odyssey, directed by Stanley Kubrick one of the most influential filmmakers in cinematic history, and those by hip director Quentin Tarantino and movies like his Pulp Fiction. Colt is also a fan of Westerns and family crime stories, explaining:
“I remember having the brilliant idea at 4am once during a school break to watch this little movie called The Godfather. That might’ve been the first time I stayed up past sunrise, and it won multiple Academy Awards.” He adds, quipping, “And, one of my dreams is to also win multiple Oscars.”
And, it’s his love for American mythology that inspired him to create the name of Daniel “Colt” which is taken from the famous firearm and its inventor, the wealthy industrialist Samuel Colt.
Charming Daniel, who starred in the psychological drama short Holding On for which he won the 2018 LA Shorts Awards Platinum Award for Best Actor, explains his stage name:
“Samuel Colt’s firearms were widely used during the settling of the American western frontier. I chose Colt as my stage name, as I felt it represented my artistic identity. Back in high school, my first exposure to the mythology of the name came through the show Supernatural in which Samuel Colt created a mythical revolver that could kill nearly any supernatural being. I loved that legendary aspect and it was just the coolest thing ever. Then in college I got into Sergio Leone’s Spaghetti Westerns that starred iconic Clint Eastwood as ‘The Man with No Name’ who carried Colt firearms. This further solidified my choice.”
Some of Daniel Colt’s other most recent projects include: Bloody Hands — a film written by a multi-Emmy nominee; The Massacre at Black Divide — an award-winning short film; and, Breaking — another award-winning short film; co-writing and starring as a schizophrenic in the dark horror play The Institute; and, Holding On, which he produced and wrote, and which also recently became available on the streaming platform Xerb, via the independent shorts awards channel.
All very impressive for an actor, whose first role was as the narrator in The Three Little Pigs in the second grade. And, now, he admits, he’s done a “truly ludicrous amount” (at least 30) of short films, along with several other projects, including voiceover for numerous commercials, like Roku.
He gives a big shout-out to his “business of acting” coach Valorie Hubbard, as he’s actually pursuing a business degree part time, so that he “can pursue both the craft and the business of acting simultaneously.”
But he also credits his experience from the New York Film Academy in Los Angeles from which he earned a Bachelor’s degree in Acting for Film. NYFA’s alumni include Hollywood stars like Bill Hader, Damon Wayans, Aubrey Plaza, Paul Dano, and even NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal.
And, then Colt explains his life-evolving experience undergoing the full Meisner program under the tutelage of Alex Taylor at his Taylor Acting Studio. He is one of few remaining teachers to keep Sandy’s work alive and the only one backed by his estate, and Colt can’t recommend the studio enough, saying:
“I think the brilliance of Meisner lies in that the program Sandy designed, which when taught well, breaks down acting into its fundamentals. It gives you a medium (the repetition exercises) through which you can really work on getting those not just in your head but in your body and soul, and then gradually piles up all the elements until you’re doing full on scene work. For example, as anybody that has gone to any college acting program, I was taught that acting was ‘the ability to live truthfully under imaginary circumstances.’ But under Alex, who has worked with Whoopi Goldberg, Robin Williams and more, and through Sandy Meisner’s work, I truly got what that MEANT in the only way you can, which is by being in there and feeling it. Acting theory is no good if you can’t apply it.”
He then learned the craft of voice-overs from Emmy nominee George McGrath and continues to be coached by Valorie Hubbard (actor credits for Hannah Montana and Resident Evil). Last year, Colt put all this coaching and theory to good effect when he starred in Roadside Assistance, which screened at the Los Angeles 48HFP Film Festival. Colt enthuses:
“Roadside Assistance is a suspense packed film detailing the life of a young girl who encounters a series of incidents with a killer at large. The entire project was conceived, produced, acted and edited over an insanely brief period of 48 hours. I was excited to share this project, and I don’t want to give away the ending, but it’s a film that will have you guessing the killer the entire time.”
Daniel Colt also has screen credits in Rossana’s Hero, Fragile and Braces, and theater credits on The Laramie Project, Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest, and A Hatful of Rain, among others, And, he also continues to do voice-over work for commercials.
Drop in on Daniel Colt’s website, to check out his resume and reels. Also, check out his filmography on IMDb, and Instagram page.
